Spinning lariat



Sept 17, 1968 W. o. scHwElTzER 3,40L932 SPINNING LARIAT Filed April 29. 1966 United States Patent O1 ice 3,401,932 Patented Sept. 17, 1968 3,401,932 SPINNING LARIAT William O. Schweitzer, 10342 Old Olive Street Road, St. Louis, Mo. 63141 Continuation-impart of application Ser. No. 264,186, Mar. 11, 1963. This application Apr. 29, 1966, Ser. No. 546,368

8 Claims. (Cl. 272-75) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A spinning rope including a hand hold and a main rope body connected thereto by a swivel. The main rope body is adjustable by repositioning a number of keepers so as to provide corresponding adjustments in the sizes of the spindle portion of the rope and the spinning loop. As the loop is made larger, the spindle increases in length. It is necessary in learning how to spin a rope that the beginner start with a small loop and gradually increase it in size, so that the spindle must begin with a short length and also increase in length as the spinning loop increases 1n size.

This invention relates to a spinning lariat and is a continuation-in-part of my co-pending application Ser. No. 264,186, filed Mar. 11, 1963, which issued on May 3, 1966 as U.S. Patent No. 3,249,356. v

In teaching beginners how to spin a lariat, one of the principal requirements is that the size of the spinning loop may be changed by the instructor. When one begins to spin a lariat, a small loop is spun first; and when the student has mastered this, he learns to spin a large loop. Finally he learns to spin a loop with his body inside and then learns to jump in and out of the spinning loop. As the loop size changes, the length of the spindle (the portion of rope between the hand and the loop) must also be changed in order to properly condition the rope for spinning that size loop. A small loop requires a small spindle and a large loop requires a longer spindle.

While there are prior ropes which have provision for one or two fixed adjustments of the loop and spindle size (such as Larue 1,993,010), the present invention provides a spinning rope in which the loop and spindle may be simultaneously adjusted to provide for practically an infinite number of different sizes of spinning loops. The spindle length and the loop size of the rope are cooperatively adjusted in small increments in a balanced relation so that for a particular size of spinning loop, the most advantageous length of spindle is formed.

Thus, the principal object of the present invention is to provide a spinning lariat wherein the spindle and loop can be mutually adjusted independently to provide a compensating spindle length for any particular loop size. Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in combination with the accompanying drawings in which are illustrated various embodiments of the present invention.

The present invention comprises a spinning lariat formed from a single piece of rope having a swivel attached to a dixed loop at one end for connection to a hand hold, and having the other end of the rope formed into simultaneously adjustable loop and spindle portions, using repositionable keepers. The present invention further comprises the spinning lariat hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings FIGS. 1-4 are plan views showing various embodiments of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, a hand hold 10 is connected by means of a swivel 11 to a fixed loop 12 formed in one end of a ropebody 13. The loop 12 defines one end of a spindle portion 14 of the rope body 13 which is a continuous section of rope. The yother end of the spindle 14 is defined by a repositionable adjustable keeper 15 which also defines a spinning loop 16 at the point 13a where it attaches to the second end position of the rope body 13. The details of the keeper 15 are shown more fully in co-pending application Ser. No. 264,186, but it generally is a two-piece member having opposed curved rope retaining portions connected by a flange with screw fastening means through the flange port-ions, holding the fastening means together, and when tightened, it exerts pressure on the rope to hold the rope in a fixed relation. The free end 17 of the rope 13 is held by a keeper 15a against the section of rope body 13 directly aligned with spindle 14. As shown in FIG. l, the spinning loop is in an intermediate size. To increase the size of the spinning loop 16, the keepers 15 and 15a are loosened and the rope end 17 is slid back along the rope body toward the spindle 14. The keepers 15 and 15a are moved toward each other before being refastened. To lengthen the spindle 14 the keeper 15 is moved -in the direction of the arrow B. To increase the size of the spinning loop 16, the rope end 17 is moved in the direction of the arrow A and the keeper is moved in the direction of the arrow B'. In other words the position of the keeper 15 determines the length of the spindle 14 and the posit-ions of the rope end 17 and the keeper 15a determine the size of the loop 16. To decrease the size of the loop 16, the aforementioned movements are reversed.

FIG. 4 shows a variation of the form of the invention shown in FIG. 1, wherein the free end 17a of the rope 13 is doubled back on itself rather than being laid against the portion of the rope directly connected to the spindle 14 as in FIG. l. The doubled end 17a of the rope is retained by means of a keeper 15a. The spinning loop 16a is formed by the keeper 15 connecting the doubled over portion of the rope 18 to the remainder of the rope body 13a to define the spindle 14 and the spinning loop 16a.

To increase the size of the spinning loop 16a, the free rope end 17a is moved along the loop 16a, in the direction of the arrow C, toward the spindle forming keeper 15, which, along with the keeper 15a, has been loosened. The keeper 15a is `moved in the direction D along with the rope end 17a to increase the size of the loop 16a. The keeper 15 is moved along the rope body 13 in the direction of the arrow D to lengthen the spindle 14 in proportion to the increase in size of the spinning loop 16a. To `decrease the size of the spinning loop 16a and shorten the spindle 14, the foregoing movements are reversed in direction.

In FIG. 2 the lariat includes a loop 21 iixed on the end of the rope 22 with a spindle 23 being positioned in the loop 21 and connected to a hand hold 24. The rope 22 is turned at 25 and formed into a single spiral which is connected to itself adjacent to the point 25 by Aan adjustable keeper 26 and Wound around until the free end 27 of the rope 22 is fastened to the rope 22 by means of a keeper 26a, adjacent to the loop 21. Another keeper 26b connects the rope to itself adjacent to the first keeper 26 which deiines the second end of a spindle 28. The spinning loop 29 is formed by the spirally wound portion of the rope 22, which is laid against itself and held in position by means of a keeper 26e. The keepers 26 and 26b also retain the rope 22 together in the loop portion 29. To change the size of the loop 29, all of the keepers, 26, 26a, 26b and 26C are loosened. The free end 27 of the rope 22 is moved in the direction of the arrow "E to increase the size of the loop 29'. When the loop 29 is of the desired size, the keeper 26a is refastened to determine the loop size. If the loop has been so increased in size that the end 27 is in the loop proper, the keeper 26a is removed, and the keeper 26b 'anoisa portion to the increase in size of the spinning loop 29'.

As shown, the loop 29 is in its smallest position, but to decrease the size of any other loop the foregoing movementsare reversed.

FIG. 3 shows a lariat having a fixed loop 40 carrying a spindle `41 which connects to a hand hold 42 on one end of the rope with the secondend 43 of the rope 44 being doubled back upon itself throughout its length. The doubled rope end 45 is turned around and connected to itself by means of a keeper 46 to define a spinning loop 47. A keeper 46a retains the free rope en-d 43 against the rope body 44 in the spindle portion 48 and another keeper 4Gb holds the ropes together in the loop 47. The keeper 4-6b is positioned immediately adjacent to the first keeper 46 which `forms the loop 47.

To adjust the size of the loop, the keepers 45, 46a, 46h and 46c are loosened, the free rope end 43 is slid along th spindle 48 in the direction of the arrow G, and the rope loop portion 47 is moved through the keepers 46, 4Gb `and 46c in the direction of the arrow H to increase the size of the loop 47. The keeper 46 is moved along the rope 44 in the direction of the arrow J to increase the length of the spindle 48. The keeper 46a determines the loop size while the rope end 43 is in the spindle 48, but when the rope end 48 is in the loop proper, the keeper 46a is removed and the keeper 46b is used to retain the rope end 43 and determines the loop size.

As shown the loop 47 is in its smallest position, but after being made larger, it can be decreased in size by reversing the movements hereinbefore discussed to increase the loop size.

This invention is intended to cover all changes and modifications of the examples of the invention herein chosen for purposes of the disclosure which do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A spinning lariat comprising:

(a) a hand hold,

(b) a continuous rope body forming a lariat portion which includes an adjustable spinning loop and a correspondingly adjustable spindle,

(c) one end of the rope body 'forming a fixed first end of the spindle,

(d) swivel means connecting said fixcdlirst end of the spindle to the hand hold, 4

(e) repositionable fastening means adjustably defining the position of the other end of the spindle to adjust the length of the spindle with respect to the size of the spinning loop, v p

(f) said other rope end being positioned against the body of the ropeV so that the length of the spindle increases as the size of the spinning loop increases and conversely, and

(g) second repositionable fastening means retaining said other rope end to the rope body.

2. The structure of claim 1Y Lwherein the second end of the rope body is doubled back on itself to form the spinning loop and at least part of the spindle.

3. The structure of claim 1 wherein the second end of the rope is doubled back on itself only in the spinning loop portion.

4. The structure of claim 1 wherein the repositionable fastening means are adjustable keepers.

5. The structure of claim 4 Awherein said other rope end is doubled back on the portion of the rope which is a continuation of the spindle portion of the rope.

6. The structure of claim 2r, said rst repositionable fastening means securing the end of the doubled portion to the remainder of the rope to define said spinning loop portion, and a third repositionable fastening means at the end of the spindle portion holding the doubled ropes together, all of said repositionable fastening means being adjustable keepers.

7. The structure of claim 2 wherein the rope is once spirally wound in the spinning loop portion to form the spinning loop and the end of the spiral continues into the spindle portion.

`8l. The structure of claim 7, said repositionable fastening means being `adjustable keepers and including an adjustable keeper holding the ldoubled ropes together and adjacent the first keeper and defining a spinning loop.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 554,992 2/1896 Donnellan 272-75 2,223,174 11/1940 Hughes 272-75 RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner.

P. E. SHAPIRO, Assistant Examiner. 

